Friday, July 29, 2011

Just minutes ago I shared with someone, my plans to go home on this Friday evening & watch tv & maybe a couple of movies. "Hell, I might even squeeze-in a run," I told her before she promptly informed me that I "really have no life," lol. She didn't say it with any malice, but whether or not I believe that, I guess I do have to recognize that I no longer have the urge to fill each & every weekend evening with marvelous tales of adventure & amusement.

You see, nowadays when I go home, I enjoy doing just that - going home! While that might sound boring or uneventful to some, it simply doesn't bother me in the least. Between the Playstation, Apple TV, computer, cable, liquid libations & 'party favors' (as an ex once called it), I'm fully capable of occupying myself, but I know the thought of a Friday/Saturday evening in the house just kills some people, so I'm not knocking them either.

Now that I've been there, done that & read the book too, its become a bit difficult to get myself riled-up for the weekends. Sometimes I enjoy the act of being able to do absolutely nothing at all, those are the moments in time I live for! But even if I were under the impression that I somehow didn't do enough elbow rubbing with the areas most visual & active socialites, I've come to a certain realization.

That realization being that I'm now in a place where I appreciate the simple things life has to offer so much more than I used to. I'd chose to spend an evening cooking a meal with a young lady of choice long before I'd suggest hitting a bar, heading out to eat, catching a movie or going to a club or some other venue. Sometimes it's nice to sit back & enjoy the company of another & even when there's no one but you, you've gotta learn to enjoy yourself!

But I know such a concept is easily rejected by the those of you who just can't sit still, lol. I get it, some folks have to be seen, heard or acknowledged in some way in order to feel alive. To those those of you, I say go for it - keep the party goin! Look at it this way, if you lose ur keys, get physically assaulted or can't find your ride home, give me a buzz. According to the friend I referenced above, I should be rather easy to locate, lol...

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

I'm back from my annual trip to Miami (well... sort of anyway) & I'm feeling as refreshed as ever! Got a chance to meet some new people as well as discover some new things about a few old people. Any trip away from home always provides an opportunity for self-reflection, so I managed to get some of that done as well.

The trip was a package deal that a buddy & I have purchased for the past few years. It includes airfare, transportation to/from the airport, hotel stay & free admission to several venues throughout the stay. This year; however, I wasn't overly impressed with our accommodations (Shelborne Beach Resort). While our room featured a decent view & had everything we needed, many others who also traveled with the group did not find their rooms to be satisfactory. The hotel was under renovations so, certain features of the hotel were unavailable to us and there was obvious construction taking place throughout the facility.

But I enjoyed our time in Florida & the many high-jinks I either witnessed or participated in myself. As far as some things I got into this year, I did karaoke, hit a few nightclubs, enjoyed many great meals, did some night swimming on the beach, enjoyed a couple pool parties, went shopping, I even got my miles in along the beach (incidentally, beach running can be kinda hard, considering the angled slope of the shoreline -- being inebriated certainly doesn't help either, lol).

There were plenty of things we weren't able to get to, but that's been the case each time we travel, so I'm satisfied; nonetheless, with what we were able to accomplish during our 4-day stay.

So it's back to the grind (both socially & professionally speaking) with a clear head & renewed purpose. Things were a bit monotonous & routine at the job & I'll admit I was still harboring a few less-than-positive feelings for a couple folk before I left, but at this point, I feel like I can re-focus at work & fully move beyond the past transgressions of others.

Now I'm just looking towards the fall (my favorite time of the year), football is right around the corner, soon the temperature will be cooler & it's a GREAT time of year to hang-out with that special someone ;-) Don't act like y'all don't like the idea of a warm body to curl-up next to, lol...

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

This makes web log post no. 92 & I can hardly believe it's already been an entire year since I 1st blogged. Though the page construction/content development for this site has indeed been a learning process, I'm rather pleased with the digital gumbo of arbitrary thoughts I've chosen to share during that time.

Hopefully you guys have been able to stomach my informative, emotional & (sometimes nonsensical) thoughts as well. I never imaged I'd actually come up with that much to say about... well, nothing in particular at all. In 1 of my initial posts, I recall mentioning how I'd be winging it until I decided exactly what it was I wanted to blog about on a regular basis - 11,772 page hits later, I guess I'm still just winging it, but I'm comfortable with expressing my various thoughts here & expect I'll continue to do so for years to come.

Since the inception of this blog site, I've learned quite a bit about life, people & most importantly myself. In writing this post, I've had quite a few laughs, mostly at my own expense, while looking through some of the older entries. Indeed, many thoughts on certain topics & people have changed in a year's time, but others remain completely intact & it's been fun examining each circumstance.

If looking back at my feelings & reactions from the previous year provides this much amusement, things should really get interesting after a 5 or 10-year review of this blog. Ok, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself - who knows what technology we'll be using to capture our individual instances of contemplation years from now? What I do know is that I've enjoyed this blogging thing, I should have gotten around to this years ago!

I guess there's really no cast or crew to thank since this is a 1-man show, but I certainly appreciate each moment you've wasted unraveling the ball of confusion that often describes me. Unfortunately, I've got a strict no-refund policy, so I'm afraid you'll never be able to recapture any of time you might have spent deciphering my random/fleeting thoughts, but again - I appreciate it :-D

Saturday, July 2, 2011

I'm currently aboard a train departing from Baltimore, heading back to DC after visiting a friend for an evening on the town.

Yesterday afternoon I got a call from her while at work & she suggested that I come up to visit her on the MARC train. So in super-spontaneous fashion I agreed, headed to Union Station straight from my office in Washington, DC bought a commuter ticket & was on my way to Baltimore's Penn Station within minutes!

After some bar hopping we spent some time walking along the pier at Fells Point. The weather was great last night & I had a absolute blast catching up with my old friend - it was the perfect way to kick-off this 4th of July weekend.

I've always enjoyed the city of Baltimore & I've never quite understood the rift between the residents of the DC, B-more & the surrounding suburban areas of both. For whatever reason, the 2 cities refuse to acknowledge 1 another & I've always thought it was a shame to have 2 major cities (separated by only 40 miles) where the locals of each so often fail to take advantage of what both have to offer.

As a lifelong resident of the DC area, I've always found my way back & fourth between the 2 areas & I love the history of both great cities. Just think, if the 2 could get they're acts together & make a realistic pitch to the International Olympic Committee we could bring the Olympics to the area.

Granted, there's always a natural rivalry between any 2 cities so close but, the hate-hate relationship Baltimore & DC seems quite unique in that other competing cities caross the nation seem well aware of the amenities of both & their residents seem to inter-mingle well. Yet when it comes to DC/B-more, that couldn't be further from the truth.

The styles are different & the same goes for the local language/accents used by the natives of each city. But outside of those trivial differences the two cities seem similar in many ways to me, so it baffles me how the 2 cultures haven't merged more (on their own) over the years. For the now, the line drawn between the 2 remains distinct & well defined. I truly hope that changes in the near future - but if not, fuckit more for me. Happy 4th guys, be safe...